I'm With You
by Moonlight Usagi-chan
Summary: When she learned of her transfer to her company's Cherry Hill location, Serena Woodsley could not imagine her life getting any better, especially with the incentive of being closer to her business-tycoon boyfriend. However, when deception strikes, she discovers that all she thought that was never existed and learns that just because it feels wrong, it does not mean it's not right.
1. Prologue

I'm With You

By: moonlightusa

Rated: PG-13

Synopsis: Serena Woodsley believed she had the perfect life: she was skyrocketing in her career while dating a successful, handsome man. Deception and loss of naiveté shakes Serenas life after her relocation to Cherry Hill, NJ, discovering that all that was never existed and what feels wrong doesnt necessarily mean its not right.

* * *

><p>"Serena, my office. Now."<p>

Serena Woodsley looked up from her computer to crook her neck in acknowledgement of the face behind the booming male voice. On the other side of her cubicle wall stood her boss Mr. Johnston, a short, pudgy man who was one of the company's Partners. She nodded her head in acknowledgement as she reached for her note pad and pen. After descending down the row of fabric walls and into his office, she stood in the doorway awaiting instruction.

"Serena, sit down please," he gestured as he took off his glasses, discarding them down in front of him on the desk as he clasped his hands together. Her smile slightly faltered; the seriousness of his body language made her a bit uneasy. Nodding, she took her seat in the chair in front of his desk, straightening out her navy pencil skirt in the process.

"What can I help you with?" she asked as she clicked on her pen top. She flipped to a page of unused paper as she continued to watch him, hoping for some instruction, concerned that it could be bad news.

Serena was a Senior Accountant for Preston Whitehall, LLC, a firm located in Newark, New Jersey, that was ever-expanding with high demands for both big name and small profit companies. She began immediately out of college after obtaining her Bachelor's in Accounting from Cornell University. Although it was a lot of work, she thoroughly enjoyed it, constantly being out in the field and assisting primarily small businesses with their taxes.

"How do you like working here, Serena?" asked Mr. Johnston.

"I really enjoy it here, sir, especially like the division I am in," she replied matter-of-factly. She truly did enjoy her work and clientele.

"That's good to hear," he said as he lounged back into his chair. "Listen, I want to let you know that I passed on your thank you letter from Tippery Realtors to human resources, and Stan Zieskler overheard my discussing with Janine about it. So, we sat down in his office and began talking about your future here with us."

Serena's eyes widened at that. She could feel her body tense up as she sat up straighter, feeling like she was suddenly on the edge of her seat.

He continued on. "Turns out, in our Cherry Hill office we have an opening for a managerial position in our Small Business division. Is that something that would interest you?"

The breath that Serena had been unknowingly holding came out as a half-gasp, half-exhale as she smiled. "Absolutely, sir. Moving up in the company and taking on such a position is definitely something I would be honored to do."

"I'm glad, because we couldn't think of anyone else better suited for this position. I don't know all of the particulars, Janine in HR will have more, but I can tell you a few things about the Cherry Hill firm. The office is smaller because our office here is the Corporate one, but Cherry Hill caters exclusively to high-wealth clientele. There are more small businesses that bring in close to our 15 million cap, so you will not be lacking in work. Plus, there is a pay raise, and a relocation reimbursement. Stan would like to get you down there as soon as possible, how long you think it'll take you to be ready?"

"I'm sure within two weeks I could be ready, Mr. Johnston. It's only me, my cat, and my small apartment I need to pack up," she hastily replied. She could feel the excitement of this opportunity bubbling up inside of her.

"Excellent! I will inform Stan and Janine and I'm sure you'll hear more later."

"Yes, sir!" she responded as she got up. "Anything else in the meantime?"

"If you could get the Nutcracker Tea Shoppe preliminary financial report to me by the end of today, that would be huge. Thank you very much, Serena, and congratulations." He tossed her a smile before he threw his glasses back on and busied himself looking at Excel documents.

She walked out of his office feeling an aura of confidence and excitement emitting. She never would have guessed at 27 years old that she would be the new manager of a large department! As she walked into her cubicle, she reached into her purse until she felt her cell phone. Clutching it, she walked back down the aisle until she reached the back exit. Stepping outside into the warm, spring sunshine, she flipped her phone open and dialed her favorite phone number.

"Hey baby," a masculine voice chimed on the other end. Serena smiled as she felt her heart flutter from the deep vibrations of his voice.

"Hi Seiya!" she exclaimed. "You will never guess what!"

"Tell me," he replied.

"I got a promotion today!" she squeaked. "I'm going to be one of the managers of the Small Business department!"

"Baby that is great news, I am so happy for you," he said in response. "When do you begin?"

"Well, that's the best part. I start in two weeks, and that's because I need to relocate first," she half-giggled.

"Relocate?" he asked. "To where?"

"Cherry Hill! Oh Seiya I am so excited about this, we will be close by now! No more long distance, no more late night phone calls, we can actually spend more than the occasional weekend together!"

Her heart couldn't stop pounding at the thought of her and Seiya finally being close by. Serena met Seiya three years ago when he visited Preston Whitehall for his business in Newark. He held the franchise to a couple of Starbucks, primarily on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but decided to work his way up Jersey, eventually landing him in Newark. He exclusively worked with those down in Cherry Hill, due to the fact that the firm fell right on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. When he opened up the ones in Newark, he met with his advisors at the corporate office. At that time, she was an associate accountant, and was not a part of his team. In fact, she ran into him by chance – literally. She was rounding the corner of the hallway when she collided into his firm chest and stumbled back, a slew of papers falling around them.

When she tried to apologize, he smiled and told her not to worry. His voice sounded like an alluring song, and the week he spent in the office she made every attempt to see him, run into him, and possibly make conversation with him. They wound up going out for dinner midway through the week, and since then they had a discreet, but long distance relationship, primarily when he came up to Newark for business meetings and to check up on his stores.

"Cherry Hill? Wow, that… that is big." Serena's smile faltered; was that hesitation in his voice?

"Are you not happy, baby?" She couldn't help the fear that suddenly leaked out. "We can finally be closer! We've been talking about this for a while now!"

"I know, I know. Listen, Sere, I need to go… but we will discuss this later, ok?" With that, the call disconnected, leaving Serena suddenly less-than-excited about the news.

"Discuss?" she said to herself quietly. She shook her head; maybe he assumed she was trying to move in with him. Or maybe he was nervous because of client-employee relationship now that they would be in the same city? She felt her nerves relax as she persuaded herself with the hypotheticals.

Hoping to ease his mind, she brought her fingers to the keypad of her phone and quickly typed him a text message.

Don't worry baby – I'm getting my own place. You don't have to worry about me moving in with you yet, let's try living in the same area first!

Instantly feeling better, she shoved her phone into her pocket and walked back into the office, ready to finish up the financial reports for Mr. Johnston. She wasn't going to disappoint him the day that he offered her a new job!

* * *

><p>Sitting in her oversized chair at her apartment, Serena flipped through the documents of her job offer. Janine gave her the manila folder containing all the information at the end of the day for her to take home and look over, sign and hand back to her in the morning.<p>

From what she gathered, she was receiving $3500 in relocating expenses, two paid days off to make arrangements for the relocation, and even a list of apartments and condos in the area. Her salary increased by $20,000, something that made her eyes widened, considering they already paid her very well already. She giggled at the thought of moving into a larger apartment; she and Luna, her cat, moved into this apartment after she received the signing bonus from Preston Whitehall for promising to begin working for them after graduation. She was a little sad at the thought of leaving, but the thought of relocating was exhilarating.

After signing the documents accepting the position, she looked over at her phone discarded on the coffee table. She hadn't heard from Seiya since she told him the news, nor did he ever respond to her text message. She frowned; he usually didn't take this long to respond to her. He always sent her a text mid-way through his day just to say hi.

Bummed, she sunk further into her chair, looking over at Luna. "Oh, Luna, why won't he answer me?" she asked. She didn't want to appear needy by over-texting him, so she resorted to talking to her cat. In reply, Luna rolled over onto her back, giving her a 'hey you I'm trying to relax' look, before plopping back onto her side and sleeping again.

Blowing a breath into her bangs, she grumbled a bit more before the doorbell rang.

Confused who would be ringing her doorbell at 8:00 in the evening, she sauntered over to the door in her sweats and checked through the peephole. Staring back at her was a large splash of red, pink, and white roses being held by a tall, dark-haired man with a thick ponytail. Squealing, she threw the door open and latched onto the man holding onto the flowers. "Seiya!" she cried happily.

He wrapped his arms around her and scooped her up in his arms. "Sere, I am so proud of you," he said as he hugged her. Shortly after he put her back down to the ground and passed off the flowers to her. "I hope that I'm not ruining your evening," he chuckled when he noted her Cornell hoodie and sweatpants on, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.

"Of course not! I am so excited to see you, this was the last thing I expected!" she said as she led him into her apartment. She took a deep inhale of the roses in her arms before sighing heavily. "I never see you in the middle of the week, what a nice surprise."

"Well, I figure upon hearing the news, we should talk face-to-face. It's a big thing now that we will be living nearby." Her eyes followed him as he walked over to her couch and sat down. She snickered at the contrast of her worn floral couch and his rich navy colored Armani suit.

"I agree, it definitely is going to be very different for us," she said as she sat down on the floor in front of him.

"So, what are your plans?" He crossed his legs as he lounged back into the couch.

"Well, they've given me a bit of money to relocate, about $3,500. I figure that'll give me enough to hire some movers and pay a down payment and first month's rent. They're also giving me two paid days to go down there and check out what I might like."

"No need, Sere – I've already found a place that I'm positive you would love." He opened his suit coat and took out a folded piece of paper. "It's in a complex called "Cherry Highlands" and it's about 15 minutes away from the office. I've taken the liberty of leasing out a two bedroom apartment and paid all the down payments. You're all set," he said as he passed off the papers to her, flashing a confident smile.

"Seiya, you didn't need to do that!" Her eyes widened at the fact that he took the time to find her a place. "That's amazing! Let me write you a check for the down payment," she said as she walked over to her purse.

"No need, beautiful, no need. It's my gift to you. Now you can spend more time getting organized up here rather than rushing around and put that relocation money towards some new things for your place," he insisted.

Nodding, she walked over to the couch and sat down next to him. "This is going to be so nice, now we won't have a 2 hour commute to see each other, but a 20 minute one instead!" She snuggled into him, resting her head on his shoulder. In two weeks, she would be in a new apartment, living in a beautiful town, and could begin to plan her happily ever after with the man of her dreams.

Things couldn't be more perfect.


	2. Chapter 1

To say that she was shocked would be an understatement.

Like Seiya had recommended, Serena spent the last two weeks taking her time getting all of her belongings packed up, pick out the moving company and get the details situated, purchase new furniture for her apartment. She hadn't made the trip down to Cherry Hill to check out the apartment, trusting in Seiya's reassurance that the apartment would be to her liking. Truth be told, he couldn't be more right.

When she first pulled into the apartment complex, it looked somewhat like a hotel and brownstone meshed together. The building was situated on a residential street surrounded by tall oak trees, giving it a homely feel to its large exterior. Her apartment contrasted with the old, natural feel of the exterior; it was completely modernized, almost resembling a New York City flat. It had a fireplace in the living room, a large sized kitchen with an island, two full bedrooms with walk in closets, and a bathroom bigger than she ever knew existed. Her jaw hung low almost the entirety of the tour; she was in disbelief that Seiya had found this for her. Retracting back to old habits, she became nervous that she would not be able to afford it, but was beyond giddy about the elaborate upgrade from her last place.

"Luna, look at this place, it's huge!" she emphasized to her cat, which she just let out of her cat carrier. Luna, obviously quite nervous, hovered low to the ground as she explored her new surroundings.

Her glee was temporarily interrupted when there was a knock at the door. Skipping over, she opened the door and greeted two men wearing "Rayford Morning Furniture" jackets with a large microfiber couch beside them.

"Hi there!" she boasted as she opened the door wider for them. Her excitement began to brew again as she saw her new couch; it had been expensive, but she was positive that it was worth it.

"Hello ma'am, where would you like this?" the stockier of the two men greeted.

"In front of the fireplace, please!" she giggled.

"You got it," he replied before him and his partner busied themselves with getting the furniture in the living room.

"Nice couch," another male voice interjected. Serena snapped her head from the furniture men back to the doorway. Standing outside of her door was a tall, male figure with a polite smile and curious eyes.

"Hi. I'm Darien Mathers, your next door neighbor," he introduced himself. As he stepped into the foyer, she couldn't help but give him a quick overlook. The first thing she noted was his dark blue eyes, as dark as sapphire, hidden behind thin-brimmed wire glasses and strands of ebony hued bangs. Her eyes followed their own path, tracing their way down the curve of his cheekbones down to a piquant chin.

After blinking her eyes a couple of times, she extended her hand in gesture. "Hi there, my name is Serena Woodsley. I just relocated here from Newark for my job." _Stupid,_she thought, _you're babbling to some stranger! _

"Well then, I'd say congratulations are in order," he smiled as he reached for her extended hand. "Welcome to the area. Do you need help with moving anything else up here?" he asked as his eyes gazed the complex.

"Ummm, no, I think I have the majority of it. But since you're here, uhm, any chance you know of any good take out places around here? I haven't eaten since the move." Right on cue, her stomach growled, causing her to blush.

She felt her blush deepen when his laugh erupted through the air; it was deep, but it had a sweetness laced. "As a matter of fact, I have a plethora of take-out menus. I don't have much time to cook for myself, so take-out is one of the staples of my diet. Let me go grab a couple for you." He flashed a smile and then disappeared.

Within the next half hour, the furniture men situated her new living room furniture, the movers finished the last of their boxes, and Darien had returned with copies of menus ranging from delivery pizza to to-go menus from exquisite restaurants. Thumbing through the copies, she settled on Chinese food, deeming that eating out of a carton with chopsticks would be easier than sifting through boxes to locate her plates and silverware. After she placed her order, she turned her television on, deciding that primetime would be a fitting way to end her evening, when her door knocked.

"That can't be the Chinese already," she murmured as she checked the peephole. Like two weeks ago, another set of vivacious colored flowers greeted her back. She grinned and threw the door open, but was taken aback when it wasn't Seiya.

"Delivery for Serena Woodsley." She nodded politely and took the overflowing bouquet from the young man, inhaling them deeply as she closed the door behind her. While she was appreciative of the beautiful bouquet, she was slightly disappointed that Seiya hadn't bothered to stop by on her first night. Flipping her phone open, she sent an elaborate thank you text before she returned to the couch to settle in for the night.

* * *

><p>The weekend blinked by.<p>

The inviting Monday morning sunshine burst through her windows, hues of yellow bouncing off of her cool toned walls. The shrill of her alarm almost made the beauty of the bright room stale, but she was too excited to let it ruin her mood.

Flying out of bed, she performed her normal morning routine: shower, dry and style hair, apply make-up, pick out and put on outfit. Standing in her closet, she pulled out her brand new pantsuit that she bought for the occasion, colored in rich navy with light blue pinstripes. She put the cool material against her flushed skin and turned around to face the mirror. She stiffened a giggle; she felt so professional looking! Doing a couple of quick adjustments, she grabbed an apple off the counter and made her descent to the office.

Her first day was as one would expect: meetings with human resources, signing off on more paperwork, and meeting her supervisors and those who would report to her. What excited her mostly, though, was that she had her own office. Sure, it was a little on the smaller side, but she had a desk, a visitor's chair, and a door! She sighed happily; the thought of closing the door for "no interruption" work sounded like a dream.

Soon enough, she was done with her first day and was walking to her car to head back to her apartment. Another thing that Seiya was right about was that the commute was nothing; it was practically all common residential streets, so there was no highway rush hour traffic. He definitely did her a huge favor finding this gem for her.

She fingered her keys before unlocking her Prius. Seiya, again, hadn't called her. Sure, there had been weekends where he wasn't able to call because of various business trips, but since there was no mention of it, why did he not call, let alone message her? She sighed heavily. The last thing she wanted to do was burden him, but at the same time, being ignored at this length of time without reason was really uncommon, even for Seiya. Grumbling, she yanked open her car door and plopped in the seat, grabbing at her phone in the meantime. She wanted to share her day with him, heck – she wanted to share the entire weekend with him. Flipping open her phone, she dialed his number and listened to the ringing on the other end.

When she heard his familiar greeting of his voicemail after a few rings, she sighed again in defeat. Tossing her phone carelessly aside, she brought the engine to life and made her descent out of the parking lot.

Although she tried to focus on the radio, all she could do was think about how void he had been this weekend. Frankly, it hurt. If he had relocated up towards her, she would have been there in a second, whether it be to move furniture or stand and look pretty. Truth be told, she half-expected the act. Didn't that typically come from being in a relationship, let alone one of three years?

She knew he was flighty, and she knew that he was always busy, but she just assumed it was because of the distance between them. Yes, she went weeks at a time without seeing him. And yes, she was ok with it, because she was focusing on her career, which obviously paid off. That made her frown with concern; maybe she focused a little too much? Maybe he was so used to her ignoring him that he assumed this was how she liked it?

Letting out a groan, she grabbed her phone and tried him again. Once again she listened to two rings and voicemail. It was obvious he was ignoring her now.

"Fine, whatever," she spat to the phone. "I don't need to talk to you." Although she spoke the words, she felt her heart ache in protest as tears streaked her cheeks.

Unsuccessfully drowning out her thoughts with the radio, fifteen minutes later she pulled into the parking lot. She reached over and grabbed her phone, dejectedly stuffing it in her purse. She felt like a love-sick teenager. What adult calls and calls her boyfriend when they won't answer? _He's probably mad now,_ she mentally cringed. She swallowed hard as she recalled countless times he scolded her for the constant phone calls and texts when he was unable to answer. Saying she was childish, needy, unable to comprehend his busyness. She definitely did not want him to yell at her again, nor did she want him to think of her as some child. She was younger than him, thirteen years younger in fact, and she wanted him to see her as mature as him. "I'm better than some clubbing twenty-seven year old," she said to herself. "I'm good enough for him." It was almost like a mantra; anytime she began to feel herself slip into desperation, she found herself chanting that she could handle being in a relationship with an older man.

Taking a reassuring breath, she exited the vehicle and began up the stairs to the walkway. Lost in thought as she ascended up the stairs, she casted her eyes to the pointy toe of her black heels. _Why don't my friends ever have this problem? How come they can go out, have fun with their fiancés and boyfriends, and they don't sit and wonder why they won't return a call or see you?_ The clicking of her heeled shoes must have given away her presence, because as she reached the last step in front of the doorway, she was greeted by Darien holding the door open for her.

"Thank you!" she said politely as she breezed by him. She noted that today he was wearing black slacks, checkered button-up shirt, somewhat rumpled with a thin black tie. She found herself wondering what he did for a profession to have an appearance such as that at the end of the day.

"No problem," he replied, following behind her. "First day of work, I presume?"

"Yup! I work over at Preston Whitehall. It's about fifteen minutes away from here," she replied.

"The accounting firm? Hah, ironically enough my buddy Andrew works over there as a CPA. Been there I'd like to say ten years? What a small world." He hit the elevator button and shoved his hands into his pockets as he waited for the doors to open.

"Ten years? You know, it's sad but I hardly hear of anyone staying in a position for more than five years anymore," she said. All of her friends had either had difficulty finding work in their profession after graduation, or they didn't like what they were doing. She was the only one out of the bunch to start after college and stay at the same company. "Luckily, I love my job."

"I hear that," he smiled in response. "I'm in IT over at UPenn. It's demanding, and often times I work really late, but it's definitely fun."

The elevator doors opened and they both stepped in. "UPenn? That was my second choice school," she smiled. _He must be really smart to be working at an Ivy League school!_

"Where did you go?" he asked.

"I attended Cornell University. It was closer to home than Pennsylvania. I'm an upstate New York native. I loved it there. I graduated about five years ago, actually." Again realizing her babbling, she cast her eyes downward.

"And yet you wound up in Jersey," he said. "Funny how life works, isn't it?"

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to their floor. Walking out and down the hallway, they both stopped at their respective doors.

"See you around then," he said as he injected his key into the door. "Have a nice night."

She smiled. "You too. Sorry if I rambled too much!"

"Not at all. See you later." He pushed open the mahogany door and his tall frame exited her view. Still smiling, she slid her key into the keyhole and turned. _He's really nice. Maybe we could become friends._

* * *

><p>"You think you can just solve everything with the flash of some colorful flowers?"<p>

As if right on cue, Seiya made his grand introduction to her apartment later that evening. Although she felt her heart leap at the sight of him, she didn't want him to assume that he could just blow her off. Arms crossed, she leaned up against her door frame.

"Baby, I am so sorry, it was a hectic weekend and there were a couple of problems in Folsom and I had to be on site," he said with an apologetic smile. "I wanted to be here, baby, but I hope you understand." He thrust the flowers in her arms and swept by her.

She turned to him and frowned. "You could have at least told me. I was worried!" Closing the door behind her, she followed him into the living room, her eyes watching him as he circled the area.

He tossed her another dashing smile before he sat down. "I love what you've done with the place, it looks very modern. Much nicer than your last place."

Still frowning, she maneuvered her way to the kitchen to dig for a packaged vase. "Thanks for your approval," she replied curtly as she retrieved the hidden object.

"Sere, I said I was sorry, what more do you want?" She sighed; his tone no longer was light and suave, but rather on the brink of irritation. Rather than fight it, she decided to swallow her pride and just drop it.

"I'm sorry for badgering you," she said as she dipped the stems of the flowers into the cool water. "Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful."

"They're just flowers. You, however, are beautiful," he said huskily as he made his way over to her. Her eyes followed him as he made his way over to her. As he approached her, his fingers gently slid their way up her arms before encircling her. "I missed you like crazy," he breathed into her neck as he planted a kiss on her.

"Seiya," she half murmured, half sighed as she leaned into him. This is why she dealt with his flighty demeanor, she reminded herself. The moments like this. Wrapping her arms behind his neck, she toyed at the strands of black hair at the nape which escaped his ponytail. Soon enough he whirled her around to face him and captured her lips.

Staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, she quickly fluffed her tousled blonde hair before adjusting her slip. She smiled to herself thinking about the effect his kiss had on her, and how they just spent the last hour wrapped up in the bed sheets. It had been a few weeks since they were able to have sex; hopefully they would be able to more often now.

After quickly brushing her teeth, she opened the door with full intent to have a long night of snuggling in his arms. What she was greeted with, however, was Seiya re-tying his tie.

"You're not staying," she said matter-of-factly. She didn't bother to hide her displeasure as she watched him fold his collar over the red satin.

"Baby, I have a 7:00 meeting I need to be at tomorrow." He grabbed his discarded jacket and slipped it on. "I'm sorry. Soon though, I promise I will spend the night."

Sighing in defeat once more, she nodded and followed him out to the foyer. "You can't stay for a little bit longer? It's only 8:30," she protested, even though she already knew his answer.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" He leaned over and gave her a kiss on her cheek before opening the door.

"I love you." She watched with disappointment as his slender frame exited the doorway.

"Love ya," he winked before his descent down the hallway. She closed the door and sighed; she should be happier than this, right?


	3. Chapter 2

Things began to settle into a routine pretty quickly, and soon Serena was acclimated with the way her new life was beginning to shape. Wake up at six in the morning, work from eight until five or six in the evening, and figure out something for dinner while watching primetime TV. Seiya's presence became more increased, now seeing him Monday, Thursday, and Saturday nights, a dramatic change from the occasional weekend or random weekday visits.

She was beginning to befriend a few of the managers and principals within the firm as well. Another manager, Mina White, began a week before her in the for-profit department and had relocated from their Tennessee firm. She, too, was unfamiliar with the area and didn't really know anyone. Finding common ground on having no one really in the area, the two of them went out for happy hour on Tuesday nights and would hang out on Friday evenings. Mina was beyond friendly; she had a southern accent and was obviously beautiful. Serena had noted around the office that a lot of the other women accountants didn't really talk to Mina unless asking for something. _Judgmental,_ she thought.

Another girl she bonded with was Lita King, a senior auditor in healthcare tax. She was born and raised in Cherry Hill and, like Serena, began right out of college. She was kind of like a guide for Serena and Mina, who tagged along when they would hang out. She introduced them to trendy bars, lounges, and restaurants. Lita was widely liked by everyone, but was obviously a flirtatious girl. It didn't help that she was tall, slender, and had long, chestnut hair; she definitely saw a few of the older partners check her out. Although she didn't necessarily agree with flirting to get what you want around the office, Serena found Lita's sense of humor and quirky demeanor to be fun to be around. Besides, who was she to judge when she was dating one of the firm's clients?

Another work week came and went, and Serena found herself sitting at Lounge 56 with Mina and Lita and a cosmopolitan in hand. She was laughing at Lita's impression of her last boyfriend's seducing face when her phone went off. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved her phone to see that she had a text message waiting for her. After a couple of clicks, her eyes scanned the message.

_Have to go out of town this weekend, problems at construction site. Sorry baby. Love you._

Sighing, she didn't bother to mask her annoyance with the message. Her annoyance quickly changed into disappointment; she really didn't fancy the idea of spending Saturday night alone.

"What's wrong Serena?" Mina asked, interrupting Serena's thoughts.

"I just got a text from my boyfriend; he's apparently not coming into town this weekend." She took a swig of her drink. "And here I got tickets to go see his favorite band in Philadelphia tomorrow. What a waste."

"I'm sorry girl, that sucks," Lita consoled as she took a sip of her margarita. "Men overall suck, always disappointing you. Like my last boyfriend, always wanted to be around the guys and could never make time for me. It's not like you can marry your male friends, unless, you're ya know, attracted to men, but you know what I mean. I'm twenty-six years old; I don't want to be a play-date to show off to your friends anymore."

"I hear ya," Mina piped in. "My last boyfriend in Nashville was all about muddin' with his friends all the time. He would get annoyed when I didn't wanna come. Sorry that I don't find getting jeeps dirty fun." She lifted up her beer and took a long sip.

Serena and Lita both looked at each other. "Mudding?"

"Muddin' is when you go out into ravines and whatnot to a mud pit and you race across to see who can get out fastest. See whose truck can get dirtiest. Stuff like that. You silly northern girls," she laughed. "It was cool when I was 16, but when I got into my twenties I was over it."

"Is it kinda like four-wheeling? I love four-wheeling!" Serena chimed in. "My ex in high school lived on a farm and they had four-wheelers. We used to race through the fields on them."

"I feel so sheltered!" Lita pouted. "Me and my suburban upbringing!"

The girls all shared a laugh before turning back to their respective drinks. Although she was laughing, she couldn't get over that nagging disappointment. Why of all weekends was he suddenly unable to come? Yeah, something was wrong at the construction site. _Wait, what construction site? Wasn't Folsom completed two weeks ago?_

"He still buggin' ya?" Serena looked over at Mina, whose face looked concerned.

Sighing, Serena decided to elaborate. "My boyfriend owns a couple of Starbucks franchises in Jersey and Pennsylvania, and he was building a new one out in Folsom. Well, he said he can't come out because he needs to be on a construction site, but the Folsom store was done weeks ago. So, I'm kinda confused. I don't know about any other new constructions."

"Sounds shady," Lita said ever so bluntly. Serena frowned; it definitely did.

"Why don't you go with him?" Mina asked. "Unless you think you'd be bored or somethin'."

"You know, I've never really asked to go with him. I just figured being on the other side of Philly made no sense for me to join him, ya know what I mean?" She pouted. "But then again, I've never really seen him at work except for in meetings, so maybe I should?"

"Meetings?" Lita asked. "What, are you his accountant or something? Little sex here, toss a few numbers there?" She wriggled her eyebrows in humor and winked.

"We actually met when I was working in Newark. He's a client of our firm here. Don't tell anyone," she quickly added in a hushed tone. "I don't want people to know that I'm dating one of our clients."

Lita and Mina both nodded their heads in understanding. "So wait a second, he lives up in Newark? So why'd ya move down here?" Mina asked.

"No, he lives in Philly. He just happened to be up in Newark for some business meetings. He has some chains up there as well."

"So why don't you ask him if you can come with him, see what he says?" Lita reemphasized Mina's suggestion. "No harm in asking."

Biting her lip, she flipped her phone back open. "I don't know," she said as she stared at the phone screen. "This doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Why? What's he gonna do, yell at you or something?" Lita laughed as she reached for her drink. Her laugher stopped when she saw Serena's face. "Wait, he would?"

"I don't know. I really don't." Sighing, she began to press on the keypad.

_I was thinking maybe I could come with you?_

After hitting the send button, she felt her heart race and her palms sweat. She closed the cover and put the phone on the bar top, but it instantly lit up and vibrated as soon as her hand left it.

_Not this time babe. I can't have you there with machines and whatnot. Dangerous. Sorry._

"He said it's too dangerous for me to be there with the machines and whatnot," she reiterated to the girls. "I guess he's just looking out for me," she simplified.

She could have sworn she saw Lita and Mina exchange a look, but decided to ignore it. They didn't know what it was like being in a relationship with a businessman, so how could they begin to understand?

The next morning came quickly, no thanks to the sunlight beaming on top of Serena's eyes. Groaning, she flopped over in attempts to shield herself from the daylight, but knew it was no use. When we woke up, she was up. Deeply sighing into her pillows, she shimmied herself upward and let out a loud yawn.

"Morning Luna," she greeted to the cat rolled up in a ball on the edge of the bed. Flopping onto her stomach, she began to pet her. "You look so comfy." She smiled when Luna opened her eyes slightly and began to purr from the attention. "Oh I love you so much!" she said as she laid her head down next to her. "You're too cute!"

After five minutes of cooing at Luna, she mustered herself out of bed and into the kitchen. She worked her way over to the coffee pot and began dumping grounds into the filter when a rasping came at her door. Dropping the filter into the machine, she closed the lid and hit the brew button before walking over and opening the door.

"Oh, hi Darien. What's going on?" As she stared at him, she suddenly became aware that she was in her pajamas: a thin tank top and some sweatpants. She noted that today he was in a business suit, deep navy, with a peach colored shirt underneath. The first two buttons was left unbuttoned, letting his collarbone poke out. Licking her lips nervously, she shifted her gaze up to his eyes.

"I hate to ask you this, but I need a huge favor." She didn't originally notice the look of panic on his face. "Are you busy at all?" Shaking her head no, he continued. "My car won't start and AAA won't be here for at least an hour and a half, and I have a huge meeting in an hour. I tried calling Andrew and my parents, but neither of them answered. I hate to ask you, but do you think you could give me a ride? I'll pay for gas money."

"Not a problem, I definitely have nothing going on. Come in while I get my coat and keys," she replied as she let him follow her in. Leaving him in the foyer, she went over to the counter and grabbed her purse and keys. "I just made a fresh batch of coffee, want me to throw some in a to-go mug for you?"

"Uh, sure, if you don't mind?" he said. She could hear the tension in his voice start to ease a little.

"Not at all. How do you take it?" She reached in the cupboard and grabbed two travel mugs. "I have French vanilla creamer, sugar, milk?"

"Black, please. It smells good, what kind is it?" he asked as he watched her pour the deep colored liquid into the mug.

"Hazelnut," she replied as she twisted the lid on. "It's my favorite." She reached out and handed him the silver mug, and when he took it she went to work on her own, dumping in creamer and coffee. "Alright, let's go," she said as she grabbed her coat. "What is the quickest way to get there?"

"It's a couple of highways; the first one will be 30 West. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this," he said as they made their decent out of the building. "I have no idea what happened with my car. You know, I buy a nice car thinking that it will be dependable, and when I need it this happens." He blew a frustrated breath into his bangs.

"I understand your frustration," she said as they approached her car. "For my job interview I was driving in from Syracuse and I figured 'why not get up really early and drive in?' not realizing how long of a drive it actually was. It took me almost 6 hours to get there and at the time I was driving my first car, which was a Neon, and with about one hour left it started to act all funny. I practically had to be pushed into the parking lot! It was mortifying!"

He laughed in response. "I'll go ahead and assume you made it on time," he said as he flashed a smile. She swallowed down the feeling of her heart fluttering. Or maybe it was just nerves? Kind of like when you're around someone you don't really know yet?

"So, what is the best way to the highway? I'll admit, I'm still rusty with the area," she asked as she brought the vehicle to life. She decided to ignore the nagging in her head and just focus on the task at hand. Plus, what would be wrong with helping with the guy next door?

Soon enough, they made it onto the highway and were cruising over the bridge above the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. She hadn't been into Pennsylvania since she moved to Cherry Hill, she realized. Tonight would have been her first night in Philly had Seiya not cancelled on her.

"Before I forget, do you need a ride home, too? I'm sure I can find something to do in the area for a few hours; I haven't been to Philly since I moved down here." It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

"I'm sure I can find a ride home, you don't have to stick around," he replied. "I'm going to be on campus for a couple of hours I'm sure." She glanced over at him, who was engorged into his blackberry. Suddenly, he stopped and caught her gaze. "Sorry, I'm just trying to find some of my notes I emailed myself," he said apologetically as he gestured to his phone.

"It doesn't bother me; you are on your way into work on a Saturday, after all." Truth be told, it didn't really bother her. Seiya was always on his phone, be it at dinner, while they were watching movies, or sometimes right after sex. She knew as a businessman it was important to answer all of his calls, but it was definitely a very annoying trait of his. At least Darien had the decency to acknowledge the situation, and he didn't even need to. It was kind of refreshing, actually.

"Oh thank God, I found them. I can put this thing away now." He carelessly threw his phone into his briefcase. "I love technology, but I swear it makes me more disorganized sometimes."

She laughed. "I still live in the stone-age of cell phones. I have a flip phone! I remember getting it because it let me put my music on it. Now that I think about it, I probably could get a new one, I'm sure my renewal is well overdue."

"Well let me know when you want to, I can help get you a good one," he offered. She smiled back in response, and then turned her focus back on the road.

Soon enough, they merged off of the highway and into the campus area. She pulled up to the parking booth, where Darien quickly flashed his id card. As she pulled up to the building he pointed out, she put the car in park. "The offer does stand; I do not mind picking you up."

Darien hesitated as he reached for his seat belt. "I don't want to impose, really. You've done more than enough."

"I can assure you it's no problem. In fact, I know someone in the area, so I'm sure I could swing by and say hello. What time do you think you would be done at?"

She instantly knew this was a bad idea, but her conversation the night before with Lita and Mina really got her mind turning. So after convincing Darien that she would grab him and exchanging cell phone numbers, she took out her GPS and punched in Folsom, PA.

When he had denied her coming with him for the weekend, she started to recall a few odd things about their relationship. One was how when she was in Pennsylvania to see him, they would never do anything outside of his flat. It never clicked because she was too preoccupied with being intimate with him, but they never went out for drinks, dinner, movies, plays. Now that she lived closer by and he still hadn't offered to really go out with her, it began to bother her. And the fact that she had tickets to a concert in Philly and he suddenly couldn't attend just didn't sit well.

Although she had amended the rejection to his excuse of dangerous conditions, she couldn't help but wonder: what was so wrong about her coming by? Why couldn't she come with him, hang out in the trailer, and then spend the day together? More so, why would he not be able to go to an evening concert if he was going to be at work during the day?

When Darien had asked her to take him to UPenn, she didn't stop to think about Seiya. But as they encroached on the city limits, she began to devise a plan. She would drop off Darien and drive to Folsom. She wouldn't approach him or bug him, because if he saw her that would be the end of it all. But she could settle her questioning mind if she drove by and saw him, his car, anything that showed that he was really at work for the day.

After battling the congested roads of Philadelphia, she finally broke out into suburbia. Soon enough she was making her way the shopping district of Folson, where Seiya had mentioned in prior conversations he was putting up the store. "Over by the grocery store so that way people would grab one on their way home," he had proclaimed. His methodologies for placement of his stores did work out quite often, and therefore he enjoyed bragging about his property acquisitions. So using that to her advantage, she searched for the grocery store chain in Folsom in her GPS and let the automated machine guide her in the unfamiliar area.

Soon enough, she pulled into the parking lot of the shopping complex. Balloons and banners surrounded the unoccupied coffee shop with a large "Opening Soon!" sign erected in front. Her eyes scanned the premises for his Mercedes, and when she couldn't find it her palms began to sweat. _That lying son of a bit—_

Before her thought could finish, she watched Seiya and another woman exit the building, laughing. She ducked behind the wheel and watched closely. Rounding the corner, she noted a couple of men wearing suits, looking like they were scoping out the area. As they nodded their heads, they would notes down on a clipboard. _They must be inspectors_, she assumed.

After ten minutes passed, she watched as Seiya and the woman next to him exchange handshakes with the inspectors. After a few brief head nods and words, the parties dispersed. Her eyes followed Seiya as he and the woman walked over and entered into a silver Lexus. As soon as they drove off, Serena rose back up and exhaled a breath of relief. _Must be his attorney or something_, she reasoned. So he wasn't ditching her, he really was at work.

Suddenly, she felt juvenile; using Darien, spying on Seiya. How childish of her, checking up on her boyfriend because she was turned down for a concert. Burying her head in her hands, she let out a sigh of frustration. She really needed to trust Seiya more; she was an accountant, not a businessman, so how would she know what he needed to do for work?

After a few moments of moping, she decided to take it upon herself to go back into the city and browse around some of the shops while waiting for Darien. Suspicions dissolved, she turned the key in the ignition and made her way out of the parking lot.

She didn't hear from him for five days.

Every single night she sat holding her phone, checking her email, anything for some sort of invitation to make up for Saturday night. She began to panic, believing that he saw her car – or herself – at the site. Randomly, tonight he showed up at her front door, his bangs dangling in front of his eyes, his top button of his collared shirt left open and his tie hanging slightly loose around his neck. She felt her eyes darken with desire upon the sight of him, unable to resist. She all but tackled him, and he happily obliged, carrying her off to the bedroom.

After an hour of resilient lovemaking, they made their way out into the living room. However, silence began to loom over them within fifteen minutes.

"It's a damn cold night," Serena muttered as she wrapped herself in an afghan. "Don't you think?"

"Mmhmm," Seiya mumbled, his eyes latched onto his phone screen. Serena sighed. _If only he could be like Darien was when I gave him the ride. _

"So, I was thinking maybe we could make dinner together tonight? I've got some chicken and sauce; maybe we could make chicken parmesan?" she suggested.

"Sounds delicious babe, but can you do it? I'm trying to sort through these emails," Seiya asked without taking his eyes off the screen.

"Yeah, I guess," Serena answered as she lifted herself up off of the couch. She sighed again. "They can't wait?"

Seiya's eyes quickly snapped from the screen to her. "No, Serena, they can't. You want me here tonight, right? Well, I need to do this, so if you want me to stay here you'll just have to make dinner by your damn self. Ok?"

Swallowing hard, Serena nodded. "Yup," she said softly. She swallowed hard again. _Don't let him see you cry, don't let him see you c—_

"My God Serena, really? Don't start pouting because I have to do work. I don't sit in front of a computer screen all day, I'm constantly on the go and at night I need to check my fucking email. Get over it!" Seiya vented.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Do your thing, I'll take care of dinner."

"Fuck it, this night is ruined anyway. I'm just taking off." Putting his phone back into his breast pocket, he stood up and walked over to the closet. "It probably is for the best, anyway. I have things I need to do."

"Seiya, I don't want you to leave. Please! I'm sorry! Stay with me, please!" Tears threatening to fall, she rushed over to him. "I didn't mean to burden you, please don't go!" She tried to latch on to his arm, but he wriggled it free.

"No, Sere, I'm going home," he said in a frustrated tone. "God, why are you so hysterical? I'll talk to you later once you've calmed down." Hastily, he grabbed the door and threw it open.

"Seiya, please!" she pleaded. "I didn't see you at all last weekend, I just want to spend time with you!"

"Shut up Serena, just shut up. The neighbors will hear you," he said in a dangerously low voice. "Do you not hear yourself? You sound like a spoiled brat. Now get the fuck back inside and leave me alone." Whirling around, he slammed the door behind him, leaving Serena to her tears.

"What did I do wrong?" she cried out loud as she sunk to the floor. "What did I do wrong?!" Burying her head in her hands, she began to cry.

After a few minutes of sobbing, she stood back up and made her way back onto the couch. She felt miserable; how did that argument even happen? All she wanted was for him to help her make dinner, and he snapped at her. _Was it because I pushed it? Was it because I asked for help? Why do I always cry in front of him? Why can't I be stronger? More assertive? _She slumped further into the couch. _I feel so worthless to him. _A few more tears leaked out upon admission. Why did she feel like she wasn't worthy of him?

_I guess I just assumed he would pay more attention to me when I moved down here_, she grimly acknowledged. Maybe being close like this was destroying their relationship rather than helping it? She shook her head; relationships don't work like that.

Bobbing her head, she felt the urge to run away back to Newark, back to familiarity, back to her old job and her old life; the life where Seiya would show up on her doorstep and scoop her up, kissing her with a lover's passion. A job where people knew you and asked for your help, unlike here where no one really talked to her yet. Closer to home, closer to family, closer to friends that she left behind. She sighed; she knew she wouldn't do it; the opportunities down here were too good to pass up on. Besides, she truly would be a child if she ran away from everything. Seiya would most definitely leave her if she ever did that.

She grimaced. She could feel herself becoming more desperate for his attention, and it bugged her. When they originally got together, she could go weeks without seeing him and being ok with it. Now that she moved closer, all she wanted was for him to be around. _No wonder why he left, he's getting sick of me being needy._

Grabbing her phone, she dialed Seiya's number. After a few rings, she hurt a curt "what" on the other end.

"I'm sorry baby. I know I've been acting a bit more needy lately. I'll cut it out for both our sakes," she said. "I love you, and I don't want to fight with you."

She heard a sigh on the other end. "Sere, babe, I love you. I'm sorry I snapped so hastily. I guess we're just having a difficult time adapting to you being down here. I just need you to understand that my time is not as scheduled as most people, I am constantly on the go. I think that's why we worked out so well when you were in Newark; the long distance made me schedule time to see you. With you nearby I just figured I would be able to see you when I could. I guess we just didn't communicate that well enough."

"I know. I'm sorry that I haven't been as understanding." Serena let out a breath of relief; at least he wasn't as mad at her anymore.

"Listen, I think if we are going to make this work, I think we need to scale back a bit. Less scheduled time, more spontaneous time. Bring back what was fun in our relationship, don't you agree?"

She felt her body cringe in response from his suggestion, her mouth dry from her jaw hanging ajar. _It really is me, he is sick of me, he doesn't love me anymore._

"Yea, we can try that," she said as calmly as she could. She felt like her heart was screaming; how do you react when your boyfriend tells you he wants to spend less time with you? "I, I'm not losing you, am I?" she said in a half-whisper. She knew if she said it any louder he would hear the sob stifled in her throat.

There was a pause. "No, Sere, you're not," he finally said. "But I think we need to take this time to reflect on what changes we can make to be better for each other."

"Ok," she said reluctantly. "So, you'll let me know the next time I'll see you?"

"Yeah. I'm out of town the next few days, and then I'll be busy this weekend doing property checks, so I won't be around this week at all," he replied.

"Ok. Well, I guess I'll talk to you later." She could feel her strength crumbling. "Have a nice night."

"Talk to you soon babe. Sleep well." The moment the line disconnected, the tears that she held back fell. She stared at the blank screen of the telephone; she was terrified at what she just agreed to.


End file.
